I woke up to an eerily still silence.

The wind had stopped moaning and the woodwork had stopped groaning. I could no longer feel the ship bobbing with the waves like it usually did, nor could I hear the crewmen working away above deck.

Quietly, I slipped out of bed, leaving the children to sleep as I approached the small, circular porthole on the wall closest to me.

The water was as still as glass, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen for miles. It was a strange placidness one did not usually find on the open ocean, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy in its presence.

The predawn light that painted the horizon a slightly lighter shade of blue every morning was just beginning to grace the sky, and with the unnatural weather patterns, I decided to investigate.

I silently slipped on my boots, trying my best not to wake the children, and slid out the door that lead to the outer cabin. Jay was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was probably up top. I decided to find out.

I left the Captain's quarters and wove my way through the narrow hallway. Nets and rigging hung from nails sticking out of cross beams in the ceiling, and crates of stolen cargo lined the walls.

When I'd reached the base of the stairs leading to the top deck, I took a moment to stare up at he starry sky and listen for any signs of movement. The silence stretched thickly over the air.

Taking a slow, steady breath, I quietly ascended the stairs.

Contrary to my ears' belief, there were men above deck. Each had a weapon in hand and were quietly passing tufts of cotton to each other. Without a word, they stuffed the white fluff into their ears before passing the remnants on to the next man.

Jay stood apart from the others. He had placed himself a short distance away from the helm, though he wouldn't be able to steer us anywhere without wind or current, and stared apprehensively out at the water. I noticed, though, that he did not stand too close to the edge either.

I approached him soundlessly, though he didn't seem to notice. He was far too occupied in his staring contest with the ocean.

I anchored myself beside him and stared out in the same general direction his own gaze lingered. I saw nothing but the mysteriously placid water.

When I felt his gaze turn to bore into the side of my head, I turned to meet it. He studied me openly for a few moments before slowly pressing his index finger to his lips. I nodded, understanding his plea for silence. I just wasn't sure why it was so important.

I sent him a questioning look, hoping to receive some sort of answer. Instead, Jay's eyes snapped back to the sea when a small blip, like a stone dropping into water, echoed around us.

Sirens, he mouthed as he pulled a small wad of cotton from his pocket and stuffed it in his ears.

My brows furrowed a bit in confusion.

Sirens don't exist. It's been proven. If they were real, scientists would've discovered them long ago. Most mermaid sightings have been written off as nothing more than manatees or tuna that were distorted beneath the surface of the water.

So we had nothing to worry about. Right?

My question was shattered when an enchanting melody echoed through the air. The notes started off soft and beautiful, but crescendoed into something utterly haunting. My soul wept for the sadness in the singer's tone, and I found a fresh pool of tears gathering in my eyes. Something inside me yearned to get closer to the voice, but no sooner had I taken my first step, that something blocked my path.

I snapped out of my trance and looked up to see Jay standing in front of me. He had both hands firmly pressed against his ears, and was staring intently down at me. Once he realized he had my attention, he shook his head slowly, telling me it was a bad idea.

Another voice joined in to harmonize with the first, and I saw Jay's eyes glaze over momentarily before he blinked furiously and concentrated on my face. I gulped and stared back up at him, afraid to look away.

A few splashes forced me to glance down at the deck. Some of the men were precariously close to the edge now, and I knew some were leaping into the water, to their deaths, in desperate attempts to get closer to the songstresses.

My view was blocked as Jay stepped into my line of sight. His gaze was intense and a quite desperate 'look at me' expression crossed his features.

He was struggling to keep his grip on reality, that much I knew, and as a third voice joined the chorus, I watched as he lost it.

His eyes glazed over and his expression softened. His hands left his ears and I watched as all his muscles relaxed. He seemed to breathe easier.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he turned around and walked towards the edge of the ship. I grabbed his arm and tried to stop him, but he was stronger than me. He ended up pulling me a few feet.

Changing tactics, I stood in front of him and tried to push against his chest. Again it was to no avail.

"Jay!" I ignored his command to be silent as I slapped his cheeks a little. "Snap out of it!"

I tried not to listen to the song, lest I fall under the spell again. That wouldn't help anyone.

Unfortunately, Jay was unresponsive. He only pushed me aside as he reached for the edge. I watched helplessly as he stood on the railing and dove into the water.

I cursed under my breath and ran to the railing. Peering down at the water, all I could see were the ripples he'd disappeared beneath.

When he didn't come up for air, I cursed again. Wasting no more time, I dove in after him.

I plunged into the frigid water and fought the overwhelming urge to gasp at the shock that riddled my system. I peeled my eyes open and swam towards Jay's motionless body.

I grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him towards the surface. Without his help, however, the task proved quite difficult.

I waved my hand in front of his face, but his eyes were vacant. I was beginning to fear he had already drowned.

I looked around, hoping to find anything that could help, but the only thing that caught my attention was a small group of mermaids heading towards us.

They were... clicking to each other. That must've been how they communicated under water. As I listened, I realized I recognized it.

They were speaking in Morse Code. But that didn't make sense. Morse Code wasn't invented until the 1800s.

My father had taught me Morse when I was little. He told me it might save my life someday, but I doubt this was what he had in mind.

Regardless, I was running out of air. Using clicks as dots and clucks as dashes, I spelled out the only word that came in mind.

Click click click click. Click. Click cluck click click. Click cluck cluck click.

If I did that right, it should've spelled H-E-L-P, and judging by the mermaids' fascinated looks, it probably was.

One of them swam closer. She was impossibly beautiful. Her blonde hair shone like pure gold and twirled elegantly in the soft current. Her skin was perfect; smooth and milky white. Her tail, though, was probably her most radiant feature. Blood red scales encased the lower half of her body, and in the right light, they shimmered a deep purple.

The mermaid studied me for a few moments. She seemed genuinely fascinated by me. Without warning, she grabbed my face and pressed her lips to mine.

My eyes widened in shock and I pushed her away. I watched as she swam to Jay and did the same thing.

An itch started to bloom in my neck, just bellow my jaw. I reached up to feel it and was startled when I felt ridges. A similar itch spread through my legs.

I gasped as I watched them fuse together. Lavender scales sprouted through my skin. My feet flattened out into fins, and before my eyes my legs transformed into a tail.

That's when I realized I was breathing, and not drowning. I blinked and spun around, trying to look at my transformed legs from a different angle.

The red tailed mermaid swam back in front of me.

"You speak Mer," she said. It didn't sound like she was clicking anymore.

"My father taught me," I was surprised to find speaking underwater was effortless. I looked back down at my new tail. "How did you..."

"Anything with less than half Mer blood will not transform until provoked. One way to trigger the transformation is the Mermaid's Kiss. Now tell me, Sister, did these men capture you?"

"What? No," I said looking back at Jay. He wasn't moving. Did he already drown? "What did you do to him?"

"He is not Mer. The Kiss has rendered him unconscious. He will not need to breathe and will remain unconscious until he reaches the surface again."

"Oh," I said, a little lost for words as I flicked my tail a little. My pants were gone. They just magically disappeared when my tail formed, but my shirt was billowing loosely in the current.

"The other men; are they important?" she asked as she gestured behind herself. I looked past her to see some of the other crew members floating aimlessly through the water. The other mermaids had all paused to watch our encounter. "My sisters and I were expecting some dinner from this hunt."

"Um," I wasn't sure how to gamble with other people's lives, "Take the ones that are already dead, but I'm sure Captain Jay needs at least a few able bodied men to crew his ship."

Red Tail nodded, to which the other sirens began searching the bodies for life before either returning them to the surface or dragging them deeper below.

The mermaid turned back to me. "Come. My King will want to speak with you."

"Your King?"

"Neptune," she replied, "King of the Sea."